Perception of interprofessional education and educational needs of students in South Korea: A comparative study

Abstract

Due to the recent emphasis on the importance of interprofessional education (IPE) in healthcare fields, interest in IPE introduction is increasing in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in perceptions of medical, nursing, and pharmacy students regarding IPE. Also, the study aimed at identifying the priority rankings of educational needs by analyzing the differences between students’ perceptions of the importance level and the present level for each interprofessional competency. A cross-sectional study was carried out using a survey. A total of 1,500 questionnaires were distributed, of which 1,084 were returned (response rate, 72.3%). The participants were 559 medical, 393 nursing, and 96 pharmacy students. The questionnaire comprised items on the students’ perception of IPE and their interprofessional competency. The questionnaire comprised 12 items on their IPE perception and 9 items on their interprofessional competency. These items were developed by examining the content validity by medical educational specialists and conducting a factor analysis for verification. Data were analyzed using the t-test and ANOVA, and Borich’s formula was used to calculate the rank of educational needs.89.6% did not know the meaning of IPE. The difference in students’ perception of IPE was not significant by grade. Further, the level of IPE perception was higher for female than male students and for students who knew the meaning of IPE than those who did not. The nursing students’ perception of the importance, preference, and effectiveness of IPE was the highest, whereas medical students’ perception was the lowest. All students perceived their present level to be lower than the importance level for each interprofessional competency. Interprofessional communication skills (6.791) were highly necessary for students. These results will serve as baseline information for developing IPE programs in South Korea.

The Need for and Perceptions of Interprofessional Education and Collaboration Among Undergraduate Students in Nursing and Medicine in South Korea

“…Furthermore, nursing student scores on the “perceived need for cooperation” on the IEPS and “interprofessional interaction” on the IPEC Competency Self-Assessment Scale were also lower than those of medical students. Yune et al’s 18 study reported similar results, indicating that medical students perceived their collaborative leadership competency to be higher than that of students in other majors, such as nursing and pharmacy. This results should be interpreted in consideration of the literature suggesting that the constructs underlying these subscales may be affected by experience and training.…”

“… 43 In addition, gaps in student learning methods between professions should be taken into account to ensure the impact of IPE on participants’ outcomes. 18 Nevertheless, students in both schools wanted IPE during their clinical rotation. This finding is in line with the suggestion that basic and clinical science be integrated into the IPE curriculum to contextualize theoretical learning in clinical practice, 37 and that implementing practice-based IPE in students’ placement curricula would boost collaboration among healthcare providers.…”

“… 3 However, thus far, studies on IPE in nursing and medical education in Korea have mostly been conducted on introducing the IPE concept 16 , 17 and faculty or student perceptions, thus revealing that both have fewer opportunities to experience a systematically designed formal IPE program. Hence, there is limited evidence on the levels and differences in student perceptions of IPE 17 , 18 and that of their IPE competency.…”

“…Prior to designing IPE programs to develop competencies that result in favorable outcomes, assessing and prioritizing educational needs and perceptions would be valuable for health care students, 18 particularly, for undergraduates. 19 Also, assessing the needs of healthcare professionals equally and recognizing their diversity helps establish an ethical and transparent learning environment for IPE, 20 which will ensure a beneficial program.…”

Effect of introducing interprofessional education concepts on students of various healthcare disciplines in the United Arab Emirates

“…In a study conducted among South Korean health profession students, the nursing students’ perception of the importance, preference, and effectiveness of IPE was the highest, whereas medical students’ perception was the lowest. All students (i.e., medical, nursing, and pharmacy) perceived their present level to be lower than that required for each interprofessional competency (29).…”